Ashington Takes Action to Help Insects Thrive
As spring approaches, Ashington Town Council is taking steps to protect and support the insect populations that are vital to the local ecosystem. At their latest meeting, the council passed an "Action for Insects" motion, committing to a series of initiatives aimed at creating insect-friendly spaces throughout the town.
Insects play an absolutely crucial role in our environment, acting as pollinators, decomposers, and a food source for other wildlife, but many species are in alarming decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other human impacts.
The Action for Insects plan includes allowing wildflowers to bloom along grassy verges and in park areas, planting more insect-friendly plants and trees, minimising pesticide use on council grounds, and installing insect hotels and bee bricks to provide nesting sites.
It's about making Ashington a more insect-friendly town through small changes that can have a big cumulative impact. We'll be sharing tips with residents so everyone can get involved and turn their gardens into insect havens too.
To kickstart the community engagement, we will be sharing Northumberland Wildlife Trusts insect friendly activities in the days leading up to the spring equinox on March 20th. Starting today Monday 11th March we will highlight one easy action residents can take each day to make their homes and gardens more insect-friendly, such as planting native wildflowers, putting out insect houses, and avoiding pesticides.
We want to inspire people of all ages to appreciate the amazing biodiversity we have right here in Ashington. The more people understand insects' importance, the more they'll be motivated to protect them. It's an investment in our environment for generations to come.
Insect populations have been declining globally at an alarming rate in recent decades, with scientists warning of an "insect apocalypse" that could trigger mass extinctions throughout the world's ecosystems. By becoming an insect-friendly town, Ashington aims to be part of the solution to this crisis.
We would love to see what you are doing to help the insects, please send your photos to admin@ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk. Every photo we receive will be posted on our Facebook page and get a free packet of wildflower seeds. Your photos will also become part of an Action For Insects video collage which will go forward to our ECO Fair planned for next February.
Here is the first activity you can try at home, you can also visit the Northumberland Wildlife Trust website here for the details;
